


Fight for Thy Honor

by orphan_account



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Honor, forces honor, united forces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-05-23
Packaged: 2017-11-28 21:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/679280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the princess grows up, she is way more interested in fighting with knives and slinging mud with Kya, Bumi, and Lin than she is with sitting still. Ursa is not the ideal princess. She runs around the capital in pants and her hair flowing freely playing hide-and-explode after school. The women look at her with displeasure and whisper that she won't ever find a husband to sire an heir with. Zuko and Mai couldn't be more proud of their daughter. She is herself and doesn't sacrifice her principles for anyone. Mai trains her in the art of knife throwing and she is a regular prodigy when it comes to fire-bending. Ursa wants to fight. But in a society where honor is everything and men are worshiped like gods on earth, she is not allowed to. She must sit still and behave like a young lady, even though it kills her to do so. When she reaches her teen years, everything seems to get worse. Now she is expected to act like a princess, look like a princess, and marry into high society. But society is trying to make her into something she is not. And she can no longer stand for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The birth of Fire lord Zuko and lady Mai's child was a celebratory one. The entire Fire Nation was abuzz with joy at the new addition to the royal family. In every home, incense was lit to pray to the gods to let the baby be healthy and strong. The Fire Nation needed a strapping young heir to the throne; one in which would help mitigate the damage done during Fire lord Ozai's reign. On the eve of the baby's birth, the entire capitol city was at the front gates of the palace and the Firelord himself was helplessly pacing to and fro in front of the delivery room. Crying could be heard through the door along with bloodcurdling screams. The doctor had assured him this was normal. And that Lady Mai would experience insurmountable pain, although it would be worth it when their son was born.

"I need to be in there," Zuko demanded. "My wife is in pain and she needs me."

"I'm sorry your excellency, but this is a woman's burden. She must face it alone."

Zuko was about to go off on one of his legendary tantrums, when suddenly his uncle intervened.

"She'll be fine, nephew. Mai is a strong and independent woman. If anyone can make it through this, she will."

Zuko sighed and sat in one of the chairs that his servants had brought for him. "You know patience isn't my strong suit, Uncle."

He laughed in his throaty way and clapped Zuko on the shoulder. "No one knows that more than I do."

Suddenly small cries could be heard and Zuko could wait no longer. He burst through the door to see the nurse cleaning a tiny infant and swaddling it in a small cloth. Mai opens her arms to receive their child and for the first time in his life, Zuko sees her cry.

The council burst in awaiting the news of the gender to tell to the awaiting crowd at their doorsteps.

"It's a girl," the nurse announces.

With those three words, the energy in the room deflates and looks of condolence instead of congratulations begin to creep onto the staff's faces.

"She's beautiful." Mai states. And there had never been a truer statement uttered. Zuko could only stare in awe as he took in his daughter's fragile features. She had her mother's nose and chin, but she had his eyes. They were Fire Nation gold and they looked up at him fiercely ready to challenge the world head on.

"She has fire in her eyes. She'll be a fighter I can tell." Iroh was sniffling, although he was trying really hard not to show it.

"What a most auspicious day to be born on. She is a true dragon all right." Iroh was referring to her zodiac sign matching to that of the Fire Nation symbol and Zuko had to agree; that was "most auspicious."

"What shall we name her?" Mai mused. "I kind of like the name Ta min."

"No, name her Ilah. That's prettier."

"Dao Ming is stronger!"

"Her name will be Ursa," Zuko announced. "To honor my mother, who I will always look up to."

Iroh beamed with pride. "I don't think any of us could have thought of a more fitting name, my nephew."

The baby, now full on squalling, was taken outside for all the world to see. The people clap and cheer with pride when Zuko steps out holding his newborn baby daughter.

He holds up a hand for silence.

"I would like you to meet the newest member of the Fire Nation, heir to the throne, and my pride and joy: Princess Ursa."

A murmur of shock goes through the crowd. The gods had not been as benevolent as they had hoped. A son was needed to sit the chair; not a woman. A place of power was no place with those who had a gentle heart.

"Let us honor Princess Ursa, second of her name and heir to the Fire Nation throne."

A special perfume is sprinkled onto the babe, which makes her call out even harder. Then a red ribbon is tied around her finger to signify the continuing line of royalty.

Zuko, has never in his life, felt more proud than in this moment. It didn't even compare to when he was coronated or when he finally gained Avatar Aang's trust. Somehow this pride-and love-felt stronger than anything else. Ursa looked up at him then and stretched out a tiny hand towards his face. He kisses her forehead and her porcelain skin feels so soft against his chin.

"I'll never hurt you like my father did me," he promised. "I'll protect you from what I had to face. You will feel loved and wanted."

He lights a little flame on his thumb. "With this, I'll never hurt you."

Zuko finds Mai lounging in their bedroom with wet towels covering her arms and chest. "I'm never doing that again. Ever."

She was smiling, though as Zuko handed her the baby. Difficult births ran in her family and it was a miracle that she had delivered Ursa without any trouble.

"You did wonderful. I was about to have a breakdown in the hallway." He climbs onto the bed beside her and pets the black tuft of hair on his daughter's head.

"I know. You were louder than I was."

Ursa begins to squirm slightly, never missing an opportunity to make her presence known.

"Which one of us do you think, she'll take after?"

"Please for the love of all that's good, don't let her get your temper." Mai cries.

"I hope she has a strong sense of herself, though. I want her to always know who she is and not who she is going to be. Not defined by a title."

"Of course she will. She'll have Iroh. And we will team up to protect her from all your meltdowns and insecurities."

Zuko pretends to look hurt.

"I hope she gets your patience."

"It's going to be tough on her."

Zuko gives his wife a strange look with the statement. "Why would she have a tough time?"

Mai shoots him an exasperated eye-roll. "You wouldn't understand. You're male. Women have a tougher time finding their role in society, especially since no one wants to hear what they have to say."

"This won't be like your child-hood, Mai. She won't be told to sit still or to behave if she wants rewarded with a toy."

"But she will be told to sit still and to behave. A whole palace-not to forget nation-is just waiting to pick her apart and analyze every mistake she makes."

Zuko kisses his wife. "Well, we'll have to make sure she is strong enough to endure it."

As the princess grows up, she is way more interested in fighting with knives and slinging mud with Kya, Bumi, and Lin than she is with sitting still. Ursa is not the ideal princess. She runs around the capital in pants and her hair flowing freely playing hide-and-explode after school. The women look at her with displeasure and whisper that she won't ever find a husband to sire an heir with. Zuko and Mai couldn't be more proud of their daughter. She is herself and doesn't sacrifice her principles for anyone. Mai trains her in the art of knife throwing and she is a regular prodigy when it comes to fire-bending. Ursa wants to fight. But in a society where honor is everything and men are worshiped like gods on earth, she is not allowed to. She must sit still and behave like a young lady, even though it kills her to do so. When she reaches her teen years, everything seems to get worse. Now she is expected to act like a princess, look like a princess, and marry into high society. But society is trying to make her into something she is not. And she can no longer stand for it.

Princess Ursa walked patiently beside her grandfather Iroh in their lovely capital city. It was a typical spring day in the Fire Nation; the breeze was blowing her hair lightly and Cherry Blossom petals littered the stone passageways.

"You look lovely today, my dear. Are you ready for your Coming of Age ceremony?"

Ursa shrugged. She was wearing a traditional furisode that was typical for all seventeen year olds to wear when they reached maturity. Her hair was tied up in a topknot with two tresses of hair hanging loosely in her face. This signified that she was no longer a child and was ready to be looked upon for marriage. Her father was much chagrined over this fact.

"Maybe I am a little nervous to meet the woman who will decide if I'm truly an adult or not."

Iroh chuckled and patted her hand. "There is nothing to worry over. You radiate beauty and maturity. Anyone would be a fool not to see that."

Iroh places a few gold pieces into her palm. "Go have fun until the ceremony."

Ursa kisses her Grandpa in thanks, and then runs off into the capital.

She finds the camp easily enough. It was located on the outskirts of the docks where dozens of new recruits would be leaving on an official United Forces naval ship in a few days. She spots Bumi training with a few of his fellow trainees. Ursa watches as he easily disarms his opponent of his sword and pushes him to the ground. The crowd erupts into raucous cheers.

She steps into the fray and unhooks a small dagger from underneath her sleeve.

"I have winner!" she shouts. The crowd sniggers and Bumi looks at her as if she has done lost her mind.

"Princess, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a fight. Are you man enough to give me one?"

The men roar with laughter and she knew that she had gained their acceptance.

"Alright, princess. But don't complain if I get your dress dirty."

Ursa laughs and crooks her finger. Bumi charges forward, his sword arching straight through the air. Ursa easily dodges it and with a swift upward flick of her wrist, the sword bounces off the pavement several yards to the right.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can tell that the soldiers are shocked. She smiles and lets loose several daggers at the base of Bumi's feet. He stumbles, falls, but quickly catches himself in a rolling tumble picking up his sword in the process. Ursa flies forward, letting out more knives from beneath her furisode. He deflects them easily and cling! She barely manages to block his blow. Metal clashes on metal and both of them are sweating like crazy. Ursa spots an opening and with her wooden heel, kicks him in the gut; hard. Bumi falls backward, clutching his side in earnest.

"Uncle!" he shouts their old signature word for whenever the other has had enough.

"Yeah!" she shouts. The soldiers rush forward to check on their fallen comrade.

"I can't believe I was done in by wooden shoes," Bumi cries.

"Man, you were just whooped by a girl." She heard one of the troops say.

"Hey, that's princess to you!"

Bumi climbs slowly to his feet, taking her hand when she offers it.

"Why did you come here? You know, other than to completely humiliate me." He scowls at her playfully but she just swats at him.

"I had some free time before my coming of age ceremony." Ursa pulls at her hair, which had now come completely out of its topknot.

"Hey, the princess of the Fire Nation is officially a woman now." A man to her right says. "Are you taking suitors now?"

"Well if I were, it wouldn't be from the likes of any of you."

They all laugh and soon the crowd disperses off to continue their previous activities.

"Came because you can't get enough of me. Is that it?" Bumi waggles his eyebrows at her.

"Well you are leaving in a few days. I don't know what I'm going to do with a bunch of stuffy nobles and uptight servants."

"You'll pine after me for days. Just go ahead and admit it."

"Oh, you're absolutely correct. I won't be able to leave the bed for days." Ursa rolls her eyes and follows him up onto the stern of the ship. The UF naval force was enormous. They were entirely devoted to protecting the shores of the Fire Nation and any other part of the world that was in distress. To be completely honest, Ursa was jealous of Bumi. He got to go fight for something he believed in, where she was celebrating because she was now available for marriage.

"I wish I could come."

"Don't be silly, princess. You know girls aren't allowed to fight in the army. Besides, you have your…um…princess duties to attend to."

The last part sounded lame, even to her ears. What did she really do for this country besides sit and look pretty?

"Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that." Bumi said.

A bell in the distance rings.

"Crap! I'm late for my ceremony!" Ursa slips off her shoes, hitches up her robe, and races towards the capital. Bumi just laughs behind her.

"Ursa! You're late." She bursts into the ceremonial room where her parents , grandfather, and teacher sat waiting for her.

"So sorry!" she bows in apology, causing her hair to fall out of the topknot completely. Her mother slaps her tender fingers to her forehead.

Her teacher gestures for her to sit. She does, then realizing she still has her shoes in hand, stands up and slips them back on.

"Elegance and poise: zero points."

Ursa's face burns red. She steals a look at her family. Iroh is smiling and sipping his tea. Zuko and Mai look like the've just swallowed something unpleasant.

A teapot is slid forward. "Please pour us all some, tea. I'm sure we can all use some."

"One can never not need tea." Iroh says.

Ursa takes the teapot from the table and carefully pours four cups worth. She notices Iroh and Zuko grimace as they take a sip.

"Why, nephew, she takes after you in tea making."

Finally her teacher takes a sip. "It's cold."

"Is it?"

"You forgot to heat it."

"Right." She places her hand on top of the glass and begins to boil the liquid. Ursa can't help but think about her fight with Bumi. It felt so good to actually fight. Why was she here pouring tea? What would this teach her about running a country? She needed to be out there and actually experience what was going on.

"Ursa!" Her father shouts. Her thoughts shatter and the cup in her teacher's hand bursts into flames. She howls with pain and Ursa takes the teapot and pours its contents onto the flames.

"You little dunce!" The teacher shouts, makeup running and dress all see through.

"How can I claim that you have reached maturity when you clearly haven't! Thank the gods with all your might that you were born into royalty, because without that you are nothing."

Zuko flies into a rage while Ursa is ushered outside by Mai and Iroh.

"It's okay, my child. Tea is a slippery business." Iroh says rubbing her back. Her mother stands tall and elegant while her father is still inside screaming.

"That went well, I think."

Ursa is curled up under her satin covers when her father comes in. He sits down on the bed and gingerly places a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." She whispers from underneath the blankets.

"Why are you sorry, Ursa? That woman was completely out of line."

"I'm sorry I wasn't the prince this nation wanted."

Zuko's heart can't help but break when he hears his daughter say this.

"Look at me, Ursa. Look at me."

She rises up from her hiding place and nestles herself into her father's arms.

"Never be ashamed of who you are. Your mother and I love you no matter what."

"But it doesn't matter! The entire Fire Nation looks at me and sees a frail little girl who can't handle sitting the throne. How am I supposed to prove myself to them?"

"You don't need to prove anything to anyone. Look at how well that worked out for me."

Ursa sighed and flopped back onto the bed. Her father would never understand. Why couldn't proving herself be as easy as Bumi going into the United Forces? The idea hit her like a giant brick.

A/N: This story is inspired by how girls were treated in China. The women in this story have no value and honor is heavily valued in the Fire Nation. Which is why I think Zuko strived so hard to get his back. Ursa is inspired heavily from Mulan in this fanfic. She is a fighter and not a sit still look pretty type of princess. Please comment because I worked really hard on this!


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the ball starts rolling.

"Absolutely not," Zuko said.

"But why not? Joining a task force would be a good opportunity for me to gain real political experience." Ursa sat in her father's office where he sat signing papers and she was pretty certain that he was only half-way listening.

Zuko signed another document and put it aside. "It's too dangerous. And I won't have you in the middle of all these rebellions. Let the United Forces handle it."

She let out a huff of breath. "So it's okay for Bumi to be in danger but not me?

"You know that isn't what I mean. I love Bumi like a son but he's going to have elite training before going into battle. I'm not having my only child, let alone my daughter, thrust into a situation she cannot handle."

That was an unfair scenario. Ursa had been trained in the art of knive-throwing since she was knee high to a turtleduck's butt. Not to mention all the extensive fire-bending training she had received from the best masters there were. She was about to point this all out before her father interrupted with an idea of his own.

"Why don't I let you attend the council meeting this afternoon? Trust me; it takes a lot of patience to sit through a three hour long session."

She slumped down in her chair. "That sounds wonderful."

"Great. Then it's all settled."

The Firelord quickly went back to his documents, leaving Ursa to quietly skulk out of the room.

Ursa, upon entering her room, threw off her robes and quickly donned loose fitting pants and braided her long raven hair. One of the many things she hated about palace life was that she was forced to take guards with her wherever she went. It didn't even matter if it was just to buy something at market. A silent masked man was always shadowing behind her. At the age of fifteen, Ursa had managed to perfect a way to sneak out of the palace without anyone never being the wiser. All she had to do was simply use her firebending to gently propel her down like a rocket, then using the many shrubberies and plants in the garden, sneak to the wall and climb swiftly over it. Soon, with the back alleys for cover, she was safely in the capital of the city.

Judging by the placement of the sun, it was about that time where work was winding down for commonfolk and children were free to play however they pleased. She watched as the school children played hide-and-explode behind Firelord Zuko's statue and girls rolled marbles on the stones. There were many sites that she wasn't privy to behind palace walls. Life was in the capital. Ursa's favorite thing was to watch the activities of everyday people. Men fixed old buildings, women cooked for their families, and children played like they were supposed to.

"Hey, give it back Shino!" A shrill cry went through the air and Ursa turned around just in time to see a young boy run off with a little girl's doll. With no hesitation, she went hurdling after him.

"Stop!"

The boy turns around and sticks his tongue out at her. "Can't catch me!" He lets loose a tiny ball of flame from his fist that nearly catches the tail end of her pants ablaze. She unhitches two knives from underneath her sleeves, and with acute precision, throws them, pinning the boy's clothes to the ground.

"Ah! Help me! I'm being attacked by a crazy person!"

She snatches the toy doll away from him. "This should teach you not to take things that don't belong to you."

Ursa turns around and finds the small crying girl behind her. She takes the doll from Ursa's hands, cuddles it, and breaks into a huge smile.

"You should learn to fight back, you know?" Ursa bends down to the girl's level and wipes the tears away from her eyes.

"Shino's bigger than I am." The child casts her eyes downward and shuffles her feet.

"It doesn't matter. I've beaten opponents twice my size plenty of times before."

"Really! Will you teach me?"

"Of course, I will. It would be my honor to."

The girl takes Ursa's hand and begins leading her away.

"My name is Satsu. I live just over there with my mommy, daddy, and older brother." Satsu, completely void of all her nerves now, begins to tell the princess about her entire life and how she liked to play after school everyday with her bestfriend, Ongi-who was the doll-and how Shino always liked to pick on her by taking her doll.

Ursa thought back to her own childhood days when Bumi thought it would be funny to push her into a pond.

"I'm going to do it, Tenzin. On one, two, three!" Bumi runs up behind the princess, who was feeding breadcrumbs to the turtleducks, and gives her a big shove.

"Ah!" She screeches as she falls in. The turtleducks start snapping at her hands and face and when she can finally see again, Bumi is doubled over laughing. She rises out of the water, her clothes drying quickly with the steam that is coming off of her. She lights a flame in one palm and grabs a fistful of Bumi's shirt in another. His face sobers up real quickly when he sees the expression on her face.

"I-I'm sorry, Ursa. I didn't mean to do it!"

"You're about to be charcoal in five seconds."

"Please! I won't ever do it again!"

"Beg for mercy, Bumi!"

Tenzin quickly hides behind a tree as Ursa starts making his brother drink pond water.

"Shino might like you Satsu. Boys do stupid things when they have crushes on someone."

"Ew!" Her face twists up into a contortioned expression. "Boys are icky."

Ursa laughs and ruffles the child's hair. "That doesn't mean you should let them get away with it, though."

They quickly come upon Satsu's house where the girl pulls Ursa inside, jumping up and down with childish glee.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look, I brought a friend over."

A hunkered down figure comes to greet them first. Her hair is jet black but has a withered gray tinge to it.

"She'll have to work if she wants to eat. I didn't make enough to have guests."

Ursa quickly shakes her head and bows politely. "Oh no! There is no need, ma'am. I was just escorting Satsu home. I really should be going."

"Nonsense. You're already here. Come into the kitchen and help me peel some potatoes."

Ursa follows the apron clad woman into the kitchen where a strange looking object is thrust into her hand. She examines the object closely before quickly scraping it across the vegetable.

"No, no, no. You have to peel not scrub. Haven't you ever used one of these things before?"

"Um?"

To be honest, Ursa had always been bad at cooking. She had tried helping Katara a few times in the kitchen before until she had burned several pans in a fit of impatient rage. She had promptly shooed her out after that.

"What's your name?"

Well she couldn't tell this nice family that her name was Ursa. Then they would feel obligated to put aside their needs to take care of hers. A name. What was a good name? Urs? No.. Zuko..honor. Honora!

"My name is Honora!"

"Well, Honora, please help me wash the rest of these potatoes."

For the next hour or so, Ursa helps toss salad, prepare rice, and skin fish. The latter part she was actually quite proud of since she only managed to cut herself twice. Finally they sat before the meal and Ursa finally got a glimpse of Satsu's father. He was a hard looking man. His skin was browning from the sun and crinkled with age. He had a stern look set in his eyes.

"Daddy! Daddy! Guess what?!"

Satsu's father held up his hand.

"Not now, please. I would like to eat in silence for a while."

For Ursa this was rather shocking. Conversation was always welcome at every dinner she had ever sat down to. She slurped her tea awkwardly as a father's stern gaze fell on her.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Ur-Honora, sir. I am truly humbled to be a guest here."

"She saved my doll from that mean boy, Shino."

"Shino, eh..? Doesn't he come from the Takamura family?"

"Yeah! He's always taking Ongi away from me."

Satsu's father was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "The Takamura family always brings me extra firewood when they have any spared. They're a good, hard-working family."

"But-

Satsu was silenced again by a wave of her father's hand.

"Aren't you a little too old to be playing with a doll now? It's time for you to start thinking about your future. In eight years you'll have your coming of age ceremony and hopefully honor us by bringing in a nice dowry."

Satsu started to pick at her rice in silence.

"Maybe she can marry Shino."

"I said they were hard-working, not well off. It would be nice if she married an upper status Fire nation citizen. Maybe the governer's son."

"The Firelord is still young. He can still have a son."

"Maybe, but I heard that the first birth was difficult. It's not likely."

Ursa's eyes prickled with unshed tears. She slammed her bowl down onto the table, thanked the couple for the meal, and promptly left.

"Ursa, you know you don't have to stick around and listen to all these stuffy politicians don't you?" She sat beside her father in the throne room, where generals and admirals were already starting to shuffle in.

"I want to, Father. It will be my job one day."

He shrugged his shoulders and waved his hand at the officials to begin the meeting. At first the meeting was mostly about financial topics: How could they raise money in the Fire Nation? Was it was to increase taxes with all these rebellions? Would it decrease the value of the gold piece? She saw her father's head nod several times in attempt to stay awake, but she was fascinated. Then topics of the rebellions began to pop up and how it would be best to stop them.

"It's best to let the UN handle things. The Fire Nation still has a black cloud looming over us."

"What about the cost of these efforts? We can barely pay our dept from the last war that Ozai started."

"These rebellions won't just go away over night! We must use force."

The officers began to bicker back and forth until the Firelord raised his hand in silence.

"We are not going to be directly involved in the rebellions. It's still too soon. Plus we simply cannot pay for it."

"Are we supposed to just let them slaughter our people? We look like cowards." One general shouted.

"Isn't that the point of the United Forces, though? People come together from all nations to protect our shores. And to keep peace in other nations as well. We are represented by them."

Dozens of eyes fell on Ursa as she finished speaking. All was quiet in the room.

"We know that, princess Ursa. But we feel it lacks honor to hide behind green eared soldiers when we cannot do the work ourselves."

"But the troops will be trained! I am certain that they will protect our shores with their lives."

"With Earth kingdom blood and Water tribe blood. I want our own men defending our own shores, princess. I want a Fire Nation army. Not someone who is just following orders so they can have a little fame and glory."

"Enough!" The Firelord bellowed. "You will all have to make do with the United Forces that have been put in place. I'm sorry if you feel like I am hiding or acting a coward, but that's all I can do at the moment"

"The United Forces has actually earned some credibility lately. Ever since Commander Briggs has been put into the position, we have started to win some battles."

"I heard he's a real hard-ass. Those soldiers aren't going to know what hit them."

The meeting was dismissed two hours later and a very exhausted Ursa began to trudge back to her room.

"Ozai needs to be back on the throne."

Voices quickly began to drift down the hallway and Ursa ducked behind a pedestal to avoid being seen.

"Ever since his son has taken over, the Fire Nation has completely lost its sense of credibility."

Ursa peeked around and saw that it was the general from the meeting.

"And now we have to look forward to his daughter descending the throne? This nation is headed down the sewer pipes."

There it was. It had finally been said. No one believed she could do the job set before her. In everyone's eyes she was just a meek, sallow girl. She raced back to her room, eyes brimming with tears. She needed to talk to Bumi, but the ship was leaving first thing at dawn. Now was her chance. If she was ever going to prove anything to anyone, she needed to be on board that ship. She grabbed a piece of parchment out of her drawer and began to scribble a note. She grabbed the dagger that her father had given her. It read, "never give up without a fight." She took one glance in the mirror and knows that they will never let her on board. With a yank, she grabs her long locks and slices through them. Hair falls to the floor in shreds and with one blast of her fist, she burns every trace of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So a lot of people were concerned that this issue of women and equality didn't really happen in the FireNation. But this is an AU and won't follow the story exactly. Also a lot of you might think that Ursa is acting rashly, but I think that you will see in time that this is a personal journey that she needs to take in order to grow. Thanks to everyone who has faved, commented, and followed! You are all


	3. Chapter Three

Sneaking on board the ship was the easy part. She had hid behind some cargo where she bound her breasts and filled out her brows with a black makeup pencil. Peering down into the ocean, Ursa had to admit she looked the part. She barely recognized herself. Her hair was all choppy and uneven where she had sliced through it. Now all that was left was to fool the troops. Compared to everyone else, she was scrawny. Hopefully she could pass for a helpless colonial kid. Ursa cleared her throat and began to practice making her voice sound deep and less feminine. When she was satisfied, she found an empty room and went to sleep.

She was greeted with a face full of water. A fist wrapped itself around the scruff of her neck and dragged her out to the deck. Ursa faced thirty sleepy troops all glaring at her with half-lidded eyes.

"I guess you men just think you can sleep wherever the hell you want to. Well I got news for you: YOU CAN'T!" The man bellows and Ursa wants to shrink into the floor boards.

"Thanks to your fellow recruit here, you can all spend your entire morning scrubbing my laundry." The fist hauls Ursa up again and places his face just inches from her own.

"What's your name, son?"

Oh, crap. She hadn't thought of one!

"I, uh- she stammered.

"I ASKED your name!"

What was the name she used back in the capital? Honora. Hon. Yeah that was a guy's name.

"It's Hon."

The man shoves her forward into the arms of another recruit. He eyes her in disgust and throws her to the ground.

"I guess you all thought that signing up for the United Forces would bring you honor and glory. Well you're WRONG! It will bring you pain and suffering. So long as I'm your Commander, you will show me respect. Or you will suffer."

So that was Commander Briggs. He really was as tough as they all said. It was just her luck to cross paths with him on her very first day.

"Bring these boys my delicates, Captain Yang. Make sure they get every single stain out."

The Commander walks away laughing as thirty pairs of angry eyes turn on Ursa.

And that was just the beginning of her day. After all of Brigg's laundry had been scrubbed, training officially began. The men were paired up and ordered to spar for twenty minutes as a warm up. A huge burly guy grabbed Ursa by the shirttail and punched her straight in the gut. She felt all the air leave her body and collapsed to the ground.

"That's for this morning."

Laps, or suicides as Briggs liked to call them, were ordered afterwards. They ran around for hours under the scorching hot sun without a single break. Ursa had to stop twice to vomit over the side of the railings, laying in a messy heap after she was done, wondering what ever possessed her to do this. The Commander came over shortly and made her do twenty more laps for being "a complete and utter PUSSY!"

She was sure she would call it quits when it was dusk and they still hadn't quit. But somehow she managed it and when the Captain called for dinner, she accepted the jook with gusto. This was when she finally got a good chance to look at the soldiers. There was a wide variety of earth and water kingdom citizens. There were even a few Fire Nation on board. She was impressed with the melting pot. Most looked like they had never had any real formal training. Just a bunch of ruffians who wanted to join the military. But a certain few Ursa could tell knew their stuff just by the way they carried themselves. She hadn't seen Bumi on the ship at all. Secretly she was thankful. That would make concealing her identity much easier.

"Where you from, kid."

Ursa jumps as a voice addresses her. She turns around and sees a stocky youth with a shaven head standing above her.

"I-I'm from the Earth Nation colonies."

He sits down beside her and takes the rest of the jook out of her hands. "Yeah? So what's a little pig-chicken shit like you doin' on this here vessel?"

She wants to slap the jook out of his hands, but considering what all she had been through this morning she just shrugs off the comment.

"I want fame and glory like everybody else."

"You have the upper body mass of a turtleduck."

Compared to everyone else here, it was true. Was she really so crazy to think she could come here and do this? Ursa couldn't compete with these men! The man beside her had muscles she couldn't even wrap her arms around. How was she to ever prove herself?

"I wanted to change some things about myself."

He laughs and slams the jook bowl down. "Don't we all! It's an ever changing world out there. Once a fish gets a taste of land, it won't ever want to go back in the water."

She laughs at the proverb.

"You sound like my grandfather."

He grunts and slaps her on the back, sending her reeling. "Not all fish are meant to be on land, though."

Ursa crashed onto her mattress and is immediately fast asleep. The next morning, her limbs are screaming and she can barely pull herself up, much less survive through training. Commander Briggs wakes them up at the crack of dawn and orders them to do one hundred sit-ups. She can't even make it through one and Briggs is upon her calling her disgraceful and the "sorriest lowlife that ever walked this earth." But she can't do it. She can't make herself raise her body up. Tears stream out of the corners of her eyes. She has failed. If she can't even make it through two days of training how was she supposed to prove to everyone that she was worthy of being Firelord?

"Are those TEARS?! You disgust me, you little worm. Just lie there if you can't do the work."

So she does. Ursa balls herself into a little corner while all the trainees spar and run laps around the deck. Occasionally a few would shout comments at her, like "enjoying the break" or "you'd be the first one to die if we were in a real battle." But her legs tremble and her arms shake everytime she tries to stand up. Her head is swimming and feels hot to the touch. She is almost compelled to call Briggs over and tell him who she really was. It would give her great satisfaction to watch his face transform into one of shock and horror as he found out how he was treating the princess.

But something stops her. Ursa can't bring herself to admit defeat. It would know she had truly failed and that was something she just couldn't live with. So she pries herself off the ground and forces herself to run the last twenty laps. When Briggs calls for them to hit the showers, she accepts gladly.

But then it dawns on her. She can't take a shower with a bunch of men! It would be disgusting and it would give her away. So she waits until all is clear and sneaks in.

The moment that hot water touches her body, she feels pure ecstasy. Ursa lets out a low guttural moan and washes two days' worth of sweat and stink off her body. The water thrums on her back like a massage, immediately assuaging her aching muscles. She moans again and rubs her thumbs over chest, washing the water all around.

All of a sudden she hears footsteps and snatches the towel off the floor and places it around her body. She shuts the water off and rushes out the door running smack dab into…Bumi.

He is clad in nothing but a towel and that barely covers his waist. She peeks up at him slowly, knowing for sure she had been caught. But he just smiles at her politely, removes his towel, and begins to shower.

She couldn't have been more embarrassed. Her cheeks flush deep crimson and she tries to convert her eyes but…it was tempting to look.

Granted Bumi was just a friend, but she had to admit he did have a nice body. His shoulders were broad and a beautiful tan color. He had a nice round ass and…No! Stop looking!

"I'm sorry, were you not done?"

His voice surprises her and she tries to stammer out an answer.

"N-no. I was just getting out."

Ursa turns around slightly and is faced with a full frontal assault of Bumi's body. Her breathe catches quickly and surly any minute she will be caught. But he just gives her a crooked smile and continues to lather his hair.

"Tough day, huh?"

Casual talk in the shower? Did guys really do this?

"Y-yeah. I didn't think I was going to make it."

"A few times I didn't either, but then I just forced myself to keep going and it got easier."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Briggs is a hard-ass but if I can survive this, then I'm sure I can on the battle field."

"I guess."

He begins to wash other more intimate parts of his body and Ursa heads to leave before she is accused of staring. Which she wasn't, by the way.

"It'll get easier." He calls out as her hand reaches out for the door. "You'll get stronger and then it won't be so hard."

At this moment, she wasn't so sure.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ursa gets her ass whooped

Keeping her identity hidden on a ship with 42 other men, thirty men plus 12 crewmen, proved to be harder than she bargained for. Ursa, or Hon, shared a room with five of the vilest, disgusting, most pig-headed men on the planet. If their bodily noises were not enough to send her running, she had quickly discovered what men did to "relieve their selves" when they were in the middle of the ocean all alone. One day she had come in from a particularly hellish day of practice, and she had to pride herself because she had only thrown up twice and for the first time completed the warm-up routines. She had walked into the room and found him, with pulsing organ in hand, purple and veiny with blood. He had yelled for her to get out and she was happy enough to comply. Afterwards though, she found his stash. Piles of paintings of crudely drawn women with their breasts and privates bare contorted into all sorts of erotic positions. Ursa didn't know whether to be curious or thoroughly disgusted.

Every morning she would get up an hour earlier before everyone else. After the mishap with Bumi, she made sure that all the showers were empty before she undid her bindings and let her breasts fall free. The hot water felt extra good in the morning. She rose with the sun and getting up when it was just poking head its head out of the sky, fueled her with energy. It felt good for just in those hours to feel like a girl again.

She would creep back into her room after she made sure all her wrappings were in place and no feminine features were left on her face. And the magical hour popped and she was back in the world of Hon again.

She had figured out early on that Briggs was determined to hate her. She was the weakling and couldn't keep up half the time. He was harder on her than anyone else. And Briggs was a son of a bitch who never apologized, never went easy on anyone. Of course, no one else liked Hon very much either.

Hon was on the prow of the ship practicing his forms for the hundredth time that day. Even though Ursa would never admit it, she very much liked having short hair. It wasn't nearly that much of a hassle to comb through and style. All Hon had to do was roll off his mattress and push it to the side. The sun was on his back and finally he was able to manage the quick-maneuvering fire bending form that Briggs had implemented. It completely juxtaposed every traditional form of training that Ursa had been taught. These moves were faster, more flexible, and more ferocious. She wasn't used to it at all but it was a different feeling of fighting and she was slowly starting to enjoy it.

"Think fast!"

A fire blast knocks her off her feet, and she barely manages to pull herself into a tuck to keep herself from falling. Ursa looks up and sees Wai Jin, one of her bunk mates, doubled over laughing.

"At least your size lets you move fast. But I can still catch you."

He shoots her a menacing glare and shifts into a traditional fire bending stance. Wai Jin was notoriously mean; always snatching other people's meals when their backs were turned. He had singled Hon out the very minute he had stepped on this ship.

NO! She was here to prove something. She had been trained by the very best. Surly, she could beat this opponent. Ursa recalls her breathing exercises her father had emphasized.

"Fire was drawn from the breathe."

She draws in the air around her and charges forward. Ursa dodges both his punches, drops down to a spring, spinning her heels like a pinwheel. Fire spirals into Wei Jin's face but he swats it away as if it were just a tiny spider-fly. He grabs her ankle and with powerful force, slings her into the opposite side of the ship's wall. Something pops inside her and she cries out in agony as she slides to the steel floor with a thunk.

Wei Jin floats above her. His face is grinning madly. He raises his fist for the final blow. And all she can do is lie there and wait for it. In the end, she wasn't good to take on anyone.

His fist flies forward and she closes her eyes to wait for the killing blow. But it never comes. She squeezes open one eye and sees Bumi with his hand locked around Wei Jin's wrist.

"Don't taint your victory. Just leave, man. Look at him; he can't even get up."

He spits at Bumi in disgust. "Don't start that "peace" shit with me, man. I do what I want!" He tries to shove past Bumi, but is pushed back with a firm hand.

"I can't let you harm a member of our team. And that is what we are, Wei Jin: a team."

The man lets out a feral laugh and pushes Bumi's arm away. "I don't recall ever calling any of these pansies teammates. And just because your father saved the world doesn't mean I have to kiss the ground you walk on, either."

Bumi rears back and punches him. Blood splatters to the floor; Bumi's hand coated with it. Wei Jin doubles over, spits out a glob of crimson saliva, and laughs. He drops to the floor with surprising ease, and knocks Bumi's feet out from under him. His head bounces off the floor with a thud but quickly bounces back up and clocks Wei Jin again. He manages to get in several good jabs before his opponent grabs his arms, and drop kicks his stomach.

Bumi doubles over, heaving. He is barely able to avoid the fire blasts coming at him, but the man exhibits surprisingly good agility. Bumi flips over, landing quickly on his feet as the fire blasts try to block his route. He deflects them away with the center of his arm as Wei Jin rushes in and almost delivers a devastating upper cut to his jaw. The man's burly fist is inches away from Bumi's face. Sensing an opening, he slides in and roundhouse kicks Wei Jin in the chest.

The giant falls and is only prevented from getting back up from the bellowing of Commander Briggs.

"What the HELL is going on here? You all, stop standing around like a bunch of idiots hopped up on cactus juice and take that boy to the infirmary."

"I'll take him, sir." Bumi rushes forward and bows politely. He is bruised and battered himself. His arms are slightly burned and blood is running down his cheek.

Briggs gives him a once over and nods. "You better be prepared to explain to me what you were thinking. I hope you don't need stitches, because they will just reopen with all the laps headed your way."

"Yes, sir."

Bumi jogs over to Hon and gingerly picks him up. The boy just slumps in his arms. For the first time, Bumi is able to inspect the recruit that everyone had been whispering about. His skin was very fair, almost porcelain. And with his hair sliding into his half-lidded golden eyes, Bumi felt a sensation that he had met him somewhere before.

Ursa woke up in a hospital bed, barely able to move. She was barely even able to breathe. Every time she drew in air, a throbbing pain would rip through her body.

"You're finally awake." She turned her head and gasped at the pain. There was Bumi right beside her. He had bandages on his arms and one on his cheek.

"What happened to you?"

He stares for a moment, and then laughs a little. "You're the one with two broken ribs and yet you ask me that question?"

Oh. So that explained the pain.

"Do you want some water?"

Ursa nods and Bumi holds up a pink glass to her lips. She manages to take quick little sips before she has to lie down again.

"Why did you do it?" Bumi asks after a moment of silence.

"I…I wanted to prove that I was good enough to fight."

Bumi's breath seemed to catch with his next question. "Is that why you joined the United Forces?"

Ursa manages a small nod.

There's a pregnant pause, then Bumi laughs and Ursa feels ashamed all over again. "Well, you sure are terrible at it!"

Yeah, she was. Getting injured today just seemed to prove that fact.

"But you remind me of me," Bumi continued. "I guess I wanted to join the United Forces for the same reason."

Ursa was shocked at this revelation. In all of their childhood years, Bumi had never once mentioned this.

"Why?" She croaked out.

He rubs the back of his head and let out a sheepish smile. "I guess it's because I'm surrounded by all these powerful benders. So proving that a nonbender could fight and do something useful, well I guess I just wanted everyone to stop comparing me to my dad."

"I mean sure my dad is great! He's the Avatar. But I just want to be seen for me. I want to be revered for my accomplishments and my own fighting skills. Not just something my old man did."

I never knew you felt this way, Bumi. I always thought I was the one who had a large shadow looming over me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to tell you my whole life story." He grins, embarrassed.

"It's okay. But can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why did you stick up for me?"

His eyes go wide but then she can see his features morphing back into the old Bumi.

"That's an easy one. I always stick up for those who need it."

Kya and Ursa try with all their eight year old might to pry Bumi off the kid. Finally they succeed and both are coated in a fine layer of dirt and blood.

"Don't ever come near my brother again!" Bumi yells. Tenzin just stands behind them, crying silently. The kid scampers off quickly and Kya quickly goes to work cleaning Tenzin's wounds.

"You didn't have to beat the kid up, Bumi." Kya repremands. "Dad is going to be furious with you."

"I don't care!" Bumi yells. "Not anyone messes with my family. Or any of my friends, for that matter." He grasps Tenzin by the shoulder and holds him firm.

"Stand up for yourself, Tenz. Don't let anyone run over you, because I might not always be there to protect you."

"Ok-ay," Tenzin sniffles.

Bumi is still enraged, though. He kicks at the dirt with his feet and grinds his fists together.

"Why do stronger people want to pick on weaker people? Why? I-I just don't get it."

Kya comes over and drapes an arm around him. "You can't protect everyone, Bum-Bum."

"Why not?! One day, I'm going to be strong and I can protect everyone." He smiles. "Yeah, that's it. I'll protect everyone."

It took two days of rest for her ribs to heal. Thankfully they had advanced healers on the ship, so she wasn't bed ridden for long. She immediately goes to her room and starts throwing her stuff together. It wasn't much. Just a change of clothes and the knife her father had given her.

"Don't give up without a fight."

It looks like that was exactly what she was doing.

Since they were in the middle of the ocean, she couldn't exactly get off. Ursa's plan was to send word to her father. He would surly come get her. But as always, she ran into Bumi.

"What are you doing?"

She turns around with the messenger hawk guiltily clutched in her hand.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore. I'm not cut out to be a fighter." Was she cut out to be anything?

"So you're just going to give up?"

"I can't keep up-

"That's not an excuse!" He cut her off. He had an irritated edge to his voice. "When I first started training with my uncle, I was terrible. I could barely even lift a sword. But I kept at it. And eventually I grew stronger. You can, too. You just need someone who believes in you."

"No one here does, though. They all look at me and expect me to fail. Everyone at everything." Her eyes start to sting slightly.

"Well how about I believe in you then?"

It takes a minute to grasp what he is saying, but when it does she gives him a small smile.

"I'll help train you, Hon. Everyone just needs that one person to tell them that they are worth something."

Forgetting that she was Hon and not Ursa, she flings her arms around Bumi and buries her head in his chest. He smelled good, familiar even. Like musk and sweat.

Bumi stiffened. "Uh, I don't…swing that way."

"Huh?"

Oh.

She blushed furiously and nods her head in agreement. "Yeah, I don't either."

That night Ursa did send out a messenger hawk. But not one to the Fire Nation, rather to Ba Sing Se instead.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bumi and Ursa connect and Ursa finds out that men can be pigs.

When Iroh was delivered the message that day while serving tea, he was surprised at how calm he was. This was a stunt that Zuko would pull. Now his daughter seemed to have inherited the trait of rashness. 

The note read:   
"Dear Grandpa, please don't worry but I have snuck on board a UN vessel. I know it's crazy...but I want to prove myself. Bumi is here. He will help me, even if he doesn't know it's really me. Please keep my parents from worrying. I love you,   
Ursa." 

Iroh smiled as he folded up the letter and put it into his pocket. He remembered in Ba Sing Se when Zuko had undergone an emotionally wrought metamorphosis. When he returned, he was a man far better than before. 

"What time will you bloom this summer my lovely fire lily?" 

 

When Bumi said he would train her, she thought it would be a hell of a lot easier than training with Briggs. It wasn't. Bumi wasn't near as verbosely abusive as Briggs. He was easygoing and allowed her to make mistakes. He encouraged her and would show her endless times how to do the technique right or where to put her feet. No. The hardest part was keeping her cover and making sure Bumi didn't recognize her. They trained on the prow of the ship when all the other men had went to bed. On top of suffering through regular training, she now had to trudge through mental and emotional drills. 

Ursa's stupid heart would do somersaults whenever he laid a hand to raise her arm higher or steady her shaking movements. She had to keep reminding herself that she was playing a part. She was Hon. Not Ursa. But her stupid mind kept wanting to forget all that and just throw her arms around her best friend. 

"Okay, that's all for today." Bumi plops to the ground and pulls out and apple. He tosses one to her which she catches with ease. 

He studies her for a minute, which makes her flush. Stop it! 

"You have real good dexterity. It's just your strength that needs work. But that comes with time." He flashes a grin.   
"This and regular drills, you'll have plenty of muscles in no time." 

Ursa sits down beside Bumi and stretches her legs. She could feel herself getting stronger. She no longer vomited during drills and could now keep up with the rest of the recruits. She still had a long way to go but she was getting there. 

"Thanks," she smiles. "To bad Briggs can't see that." 

"Don't mind him. He's only hard on us because he wants us to survive." 

"Do you think I could survive on the battlefield?" She had always wanted to be on the frontline but being here, in the UN, had given her a totally new perspective. 

Bumi pauses then nods, which surprises her. 

"I didn't mean it seriously!" 

He laughs. "Well you better get serious. We'll be there soon enough. Plus battle is more than strength. It's strategy and watching how your opponent moves. That's the key to winning." 

"I guess that's true." 

"Heh, my uncle taut me that. He's a non-bender like me so I look up to him a lot." 

Ursa smiled, remembering how Bumi would always monopolize Sokka's time whenever they were all together. They were always going off on some private adventure where no benders were allowed. 

Bumi stared at the young man beside him. Hon didn't look boyish at all. In fact, he had a feministic air about him down to the slender curves of his fingers and the reddening of his cheeks in the cold. His hair was all choppy and thrown into his eyes; golden orbs. They reminded him so much of Ursa that it hurt and he wondered what she was doing back there in the palace, all cooped up. 

"Do you have someone special in your life, Hon?" 

The boy's eyes widen in surprise. It was almost comical how off guard he was. 

The boy shakes his head and meekly mutters the question back to him. 

"Yeah, and she's probably super pissed that she's not here with me." 

Ursa's throat seized up. Who did he mean? Was he referring to her or was it someone else entirely? 

Bumi laughs at him. "Stop looking so shocked. I'm actually quite a catch with the ladies." 

Wait...what? Before she can ask him any more questions, Bumi is hauling her up and both are trudging back to the bunks. They open the door as quiet as possible but are met with raucous cheering and drunk bunk mates. 

"Hey, look who found Briggs stash!" A man named Jung stumbles before them, clutching the liquor bottle. He stuffs one into both their hands and drags them forward. 

"Come join the party!" Another inebriate shouts. 

Bumi gives her a quizzical look, then shrugs and takes a swig of his beer. 

"May never have another chance." 

"Hon come sit down and have a drink with us," Jung slurs. "You need to loosen up." 

Ursa didn't like where this was heading but it was the first recognition she had received from the other recruits since stumbling aboard the ship. She wasn't about to pass it up. 

She sits down beside Jung and several other drunk men, cracks open her beer and takes a small sip. It stings as it goes down, making her eyes water and nose seize up. She coughs most of it back up. 

Her bunk mates laugh. "This your first time drinking?" 

She nods.

"Then you gotta take a deep gulp, like this." Jung demonstrates as he sips down the alcohol at an alarming rate. 

Ursa tries again and this time the drink tastes a bit better. 

"Heh, you're alright, I guess." 

"So what are you gonna do when Briggs finds out you all stole his stash?" Bumi asks. 

"That bastard ain't gonna find out. And if he does, then so what? A few extra laps are worth a minute of pleasure." 

Bumi laughs in agreement. 

"I mean we gotta do something to pass the time while we're on this ship. Ain't nothin' but men here and they ain't gonna satisfy me like a pair of these will." 

Jung squeezes the air in front of him. Laughter echoes through the room. 

Ursa can feel herself shrinking into the floor. 

"You ever experience the sweet succubus that is a woman, Hon?" 

The look of confusion must have shown clearly on her face because all of the recruits, minus Bumi, burst out laughing. 

"I guess that would be a no. What's the matter, scared?" 

"No! I-I just haven't found the right one yet." 

More laughter. 

Jung throws his arm around Ursa and is so close she can smell the liquor on his breath. 

"How old are you, anyways?" 

"I'm seventeen." 

"I had just turned fifteen on my first time." 

The other men start shouting out numbers and Ursa can't believe they are actually talking about this. This is what filled a man's head? She couldn't fathom it. 

"How about you, Bumi?" 

For a moment Ursa is terrified that he is going to answer and raise even more questions. But he just waves the question away.

"Bumi, you're lucky, though." 

"How?" A look of confusion crosses over his face. 

"Because you got to meet and greet with the hottest woman in the Fire Nation! The princess herself. What's she like, man?" 

They were talking about her. They were actually talking about her. She wanted to shrink into the floor and never return. She wanted to slap every single man in this room. But she couldn't do any of that because she was Hon and not Ursa. 

"The princess is beautiful, yes, but she's a lot more than that. She's quick to anger but even quicker to forgive. She loves to laugh and roam around the capital without a care about what people think. She challenges me to spars then wants to wander around the beach the next. Ursa is truly...unique." 

His name slips past her lips and for a second he glances at her and its as if he knows everything. All the secrets and lies. All the kind words he thinks she will never hear. But then the moment passes and her dreams pop like a bubble. 

Jung whistles. "So you're on a first name basis with her? That's a good sign, man." 

Suddenly Bumi slams the bottle down and jumps to his feet. "Don't go putting the princess in a category as one of your fantasies. Those moments are mine alone and aren't for you to taint." 

"Sorry, man." 

Bumi just shakes his head and walks out the door. Ursa almost gets up to follow him, but Hon keeps her put.


End file.
